The present invention relates to a door release and engagement mechanism. More particularly, the present invention relates to a door release and engagement mechanism for a vehicle.
Typically, vehicle doors and in particular vehicle passenger doors are provided with a separate inside door engagement means such as a pull handle and inside release means such as an inside release handle. The use of two separate components for these functions inevitably increases the part count and door assembly time and hence the overall assembly cost. It also restricts the design freedom of the inside door trim upon which these components are typically mounted.
In vehicles fitted with a power unlatching system, pulling the inside release handle merely operates an electrical switch that sends an unlatching signal to the corresponding door latch. Nevertheless, it is desirable to include a mechanical connection between the release handle and the latch so that users may be able to exit the vehicle even when there is a loss of power to the latch.